Margie Clayman

How to make a difference for five dollars

What can $5 buy these days? Hardly anything, it seems. A gallon of milk is close to that price. A gallon of gas is close to that price. There are some drinks at Starbucks that I think exceed $5. However, as small as this monetary unit seems, it can make a world of difference.

How, you ask?

Well, there’s this organization called USA for UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), and they are trying to close the funding gap that the UNHCR is experiencing as they try to help people in an increasingly severe refugee crisis. In 2011, there are 6,000 UNHCR agents around the world, and to support their work and raise money for their efforts, the USA for UNHCR wants us to buy 6,000 blue keys, which only cost $5 each.

“You don’t have to live like a refugee”

So Tom Petty sang. What does living like a refugee mean these days? According to stats provided to me by the Blue Key Campaign:

• There were about 43.7 million refugees in the world at the end of 2010

• 49% of refugees are women or girls

• About 47% of refugees are under the age of 18

• Many of the refugees were from countries torn apart by constant conflict like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia

“Listen, do you want to know a secret?”

So sang John Lennon.

Here’s the thing. I was invited to become a Blue Key Champion, and part of my pledge was that I would make sure 25 people bought a blue key (you can get a pendant or a pin, your choice). I just got mine today. The process took about 2 minutes, and my credit card was pinged for $5.

Now, I don’t want these Blue Key folks to think I’m a poopy champion, so I really need your help in getting these 25 keys claimed and paid for. All you have to do is go to the “Get your Blue Key” page. Then, come back here and let me know you got one so that I can make sure I’m living up to my word.

And hey, if you want to become a champion, ping @shonali or @rachaelseda on Twitter and they will help you out, or visit this Blue Key Champion form!

Thank you for your help!

Image Credit: UN Photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/un_photo/6106232719/in/set-72157623533807618<by United Nations Photo> via Creative Commons

The Era of Fluff Is Over

by Margie Clayman

You know how everyone goes completely crazy over a 6-week old puppy? It’s the cutest thing in the world. You don’t know how you lived without it. It can do no wrong, even when it makes messes all over your newly cleaned floor. It is the single best thing in the history of humanity, and it will always stay that way, right?

Then the puppy gets to be 2 or 3, fully grown, and you think, “Yeah, he’s pretty okay, but this chewing on my shoes…it’s getting a bit old.”

Well, Social Media was once the 6-week old puppy, and it had a pretty long run at that cute and cuddly stage. People who joined Twitter were greeted with messages like, “You can be human here!” Maybe you heard, “You can make your brand have a name and a personality! You can get to know your customers!”

Everything about social media was great. Sure, the spam on Twitter was really annoying and okay, Facebook *probably* knows everything there is to know about you, but gosh darn it, you know what Susan Smith who bought your product LOOKS LIKE! And you know that she ate cheerios for breakfast this morning. That. Is. So. Cool.

Except it’s not anymore

There is one little problem with all of that fluffy talk that drew a deep and pleasing haze over the online world for a few years.

It’s really hard to make money out of knowing your customer is eating cheerios. Particularly if you are trying to sell deeply technical machine tools.

The fact is that if you dropped everything and decided to invest all of your resources into social media 2-3 years back, you are probably feeling a little shaky these days. Why? Probably, if I had to guess, because someone is tapping on your shoulder and asking you questions like, “So…how many sales have we gotten from these efforts of yours?” Maybe you’re being asked, “How much money have we made since you started doing that Twitter stuff?”

Do you have an answer?

If you don’t, your love affair with Social Media has likely hit the 7-year itch a couple of years too early.

Real world calling

It’s still really fun to participate in Social Media, but if you followed a lot of the advice that was bandied about a couple of years ago and plowed into Social Media with all fears of danger thrown to the wind, you made a huge mistake, and it’s probably just starting to rear its ugly head right about now. It’s nice to say that you should take risks and just jump into something full throttle, but realistically speaking, especially over the last four years, that has been poor advice to take or give as a business. Now, you need to consider how much time you or your business has spent trying to build these “human” relationships. How much money was paid for the nurturing of those relationships? And most importantly, how many sales do you have against that money that was paid, either as a consultation fee or a simple hourly paycheck?

Don’t get me wrong. The idea of really getting to know your customers and your peers is still super cool and there are a lot of benefits that can be garnered from online relationships and networking. But it is time to understand that Social Media is not currently structured to give a business absolutely everything it needs. Most businesses these days cannot wait for that random friend to become a customer, which could take 3-5 years. Businesses need money now, cuz we have this here economic problem going on.

If I may offer my very best and most heartfelt advice, it is to cease talking in floaty utopian ideals about social media. We have passed through the cute puppy stage and are now in the “Shoot, I need to take him for a walk NOW?” stage. People need to hear real advice about how to make this tool work for them. Saying that you can talk to people in real time is not enough. That is not sales. That is not conversion. That is not ROI. That is not what is needed.

The era of fluff is over.

Do you agree?

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31760999@N05/4023052711/ via Creative Commons

Beware. Social Media Is A Drug.

by Margie Clayman

Chris Brogan wrote a very interesting post recently about the pressure to remain visible once you join the online world. His perspective on it was that it’s a pressure to remain busy, but I think it actually highlighted a potential significant problem in our current society, and it may have uncovered why there is so much drama and bullying on online platforms.

The fact is, social media has evolved into a drug for a lot of people.

The good news is that unlike drugs like crack and heroin, we can adjust our minds so that we control social media and make it a positive aspect of our lives. Crack and heroin addicts may say they can do the same thing, but in fact they are merely heading for a downward spiral.

#tweetdiner: The Biggest Issues We Don’t Talk About

by Margie Clayman

If you’re in the online world regularly, you are likely to see mentions of a lot of different causes. There is the big Movember movement to raise researching funding for curing prostate cancer. The @charitywater account is a popular one to follow on Twitter. If you’re into environmental issues, you know you can find the World Wildlife Federation or, ehem, Leo DiCaprio.

It strikes me though that there are thousands, probably millions of issues that simply don’t get talked about as much online. For example, my efforts to help Nic Wirtz raise funds for new textbooks for Guatemala made me realize how little I knew about what has been going on down there throughout my lifetime. I do a poor job of keeping up on news from refugee camps in the Middle East. I do a poor job of keeping up on the floods in Thailand. And I don’t hear a lot about these issues online. Am I just not following the right crowd, or are these issues harder to wrap your arms around?

This is what we’ll be talking about Thursday, December 8 at 9 PM EST. What issues are close to your heart that don’t seem to get a lot of attention? Why do you think those issues don’t get attention but others do? And what does social media have to do with all of this?

I hope to see you there!

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/motti82/3979771676/sizes/s/in/photostream/ via Creative Commons

The Colonoscopy Principle

by Margie Clayman

It just keeps coming up over and over again.

No, not Kim Kardashian’s faux marriage.

No, not my lunch.

This topic of being human online.

What does that mean, anyway? I mean, you’re a human, right? Oh, hi, Google bot and spam bot.

What was I saying again?

Look, the bottom line is that you and I need to talk about this thing that keeps coming up. To wit, we need to talk about this whole “being human online” thing.

There seems to be a pretty clear divide in the online world on how to handle this issue. On the one end of the spectrum you have what I call the “Don’t Know Me Folk.” These are people who really feel that they are online to promote their business or their brand, and that is what they are going to do. Do they have 3 ears? Five kids? Seventeen chihuahuas? We have no idea, and we’ll likely never find out. For these people, personal and professional mix like the acids in my tummy when I see those BP Gulf Coast commercials. Burny.

Now, on the other end of the spectrum we have the folks who I like to call “The Colonoscopites.” In other words, they embody what I have coined as the Colonoscopy Principle. With these people, nothing is too personal. Do you want to hear about their history of sexual escapades? Done. Maybe you’d like to see live video of their kid being born. No problem. Tweet that link! For these folks personal IS professional, whether that’s because they think it’s good for their bottom line or because that’s just the way they are.

I find myself somewhat in between the “Don’t see me Folks” and the Colonsocopites. As is so often the case, I am in the undefined grey area. But for me, it has always come down to a question of personable, not personal. So, for example, consider the following.

Writing a blog post about a general experience everyone can easily relate to – good!

Writing a blog post about your various levels of stuffed nose – not so good.

Writing a blog post about a life-changing event for the good of others – good!

Writing a blog post about something so personal that your readers want to gouge their eyes out with spoons – not so good.

It can most certainly be a complex line. After all, a stuffed up and/or runny nose is something we all can relate to, but it’s a matter of degrees. Giving the general idea can be okay. Talk of consistency and color, not so much. It’s a judgment call.

How to use the Colonoscopy Principle

So here is how I generally figure out this whole “being human online” thing. You can feel free to agree or disagree, of course.

Consider everyone in the online world a potential employer or customer, even if you aren’t using social media for business. Someone ALWAYS knows someone. Over the course of one year on Facebook I’ve met two people online who ended up knowing people from my personal life. It’s just crazy! So, whenever you’re blogging or tweeting or facebooking, consider whether you would tell a customer or an employer what you are about to say. In the blogging scenario, also bear in mind that your blog post may be your first introduction to people. Think about how you introduce yourself to others. Do you say, “Hi, my name is XYZ and I’d like to tell you about how I was mentally disturbed from ages 27-33!”? Do you wave to someone across the street who just moved into your neighborhood and confess that you cheated on your spouse by way of greeting?

Let’s hope not.

The same logic applies for here in digital-verse. I want to get to know you, so the all professional all the time thing doesn’t really work for me. I want to be able to picture you as a living entity not attached to an electronic device. Call me weird (but not too often). However, I also don’t want to feel like I need to have a frontal lobotomy after reading your stuff. Unless your blogsite is something like confessionalbooth.com, which I would probably not visit anyway, your readers are probably not expecting an eye-full and brain-full when they go to read a post of yours.

In other words, posting pictures of your most recent colonoscopy may be a turn-off.

Writing about why people should get a colonoscopy – good stuff.

At least that’s the way I see it. Maybe you can prove me wrong.

Incidentally, this post is dedicated to Mark Schaefer, who wrote a post about being human which inspired me to comment which inspired him to dare me to write this post. Online friends are dangerous!

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ex_magician/5708940116/ via Creative Commons

Four Real Ways To Make A Difference

by Margie Clayman

Are you still far from convinced that social media for social good is a worthwhile thing to pursue? I get it. We’re all getting more cynical these days. Less trusting. And it seems like there is a lot of fluff out there. Sure, social media for social good. Uhhuh. Give me some proof that it works.

Well, I have some proof for you. Just a little. A short while ago I wrote a post about a project my friend Nic Wirtz was working on with photographer Jean-Marie Simon. They wanted to use Simon’s photographs of Guatemala from the 1980s to create historically accurate, high-quality textbooks for Guatemala’s use. At the time I wrote the post, Nic and Jean-Marie needed to raise about $19,500 in two weeks. Sounds pretty impossible, right? Except that Nic and I promoted the heck out of the effort via Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and, well, with a few hours left, the project is rather substantially over the goal.

Anything is possible in the online world.

With that in mind, I know four people who could really use your help. Help doesn’t have to be a donation, by the way. Help could be just spreading the word or engaging with them online so you can get to know them and maybe connect them with people who CAN help. These four people are people I either know personally or know are fantastic. I’d vouch for any of them is what I’m trying to say. And I want to see them succeed. I want them to have a little taste of what the online world can do for social good. Are you ready to meet these folks?

Nancy Davis

You’ve seen this name a lot here on my site if you visit regularly. Nancy has posted here, she often comments, and I’ve highlighted her here and there because she is awesome. Unfortunately, as is the case for so many people these days, Nancy has come under hard times. She is at risk of losing her apartment. She is facing having to find a job that would be an extremely long commute that would reduce her ability to care for her beloved son. She is facing the possibility that she may have to move to a less safe neighborhood to make ends meet. Nancy deserves better than this, as do so many people in such dire circumstances.

What can we do to help Nancy? First and foremost, I think we can help spread the word. Nancy has an amazing personality, she’s a fantastic writer, and she has all of the skills a marketing/communications firm could be looking for. Maybe you know someone who knows someone who has the ideal job waiting for this woman. Maybe you know someone who knows great apartments where Nancy lives. You never know who will read your shared content, right? Or maybe my sharing this with you has given you an idea of something that could be done to help this wonderful lady out. Read Nancy’s post about her current situation, friend her on Twitter, and let’s see what we can do.

Phil Sandifer

I have known Phil since college, and for all of that time, his intelligence has been pretty darned awe-inspiring. That magical brain of his has cooked up a really fascinating idea that I think has a lot to offer. Phil wants to write a book about the history of Wonder Woman. Now I know a lot of you wonderful people are comic book nerds. I meant…fans. But have you ever wondered how Wonder Woman sort of ended up the way she did? Part dominatrix, part feminist, part superhero – she is a really weird, really interesting fictional character, and Phil wants to explore it all.

This is a passion project for Phil – in order to treat the project professionally, he needs funding. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a whole lot – he is looking for $4,000, which would help him get professional editing and which would buy him some extra time to pour into this labor of love. What better present could we give this guy at this time of year? Check out his Kickstarter page and even if you don’t want to donate, help spread the word to people who might want to support this project!

The Fugee Village

I’ve written about Luma Mufleh and her Fugees before. For all of the info you can just revisit that post, but suffice to say that her cause is absolutely amazing and to make it reach its full capacity, she needs our help. There are many, many ways that we can help the Fugees out. They need school supplies. They need money. They need us to spread the word. Check out the Fugees Get Involved page to see all of the ways you can help, and friend Coach Luma on Twitter to let her know we’re out here helping.

Patrick Prothe

Last year, when I was working on some anti-bullying ideas, one of my biggest supporters and best assistants was Patrick Prothe. Patrick is a brilliant fellow, endlessly kind, and as fate would have it, he is also a phenomenal photographer. Patrick has discovered that Oregon is rich with beautiful bridges, and he would like to create a coffee table book highlighting these architectural wonders (often overlooked) via his photographic talent. Like Phil’s project, this is a labor of love, and Patrick needs our support. By the end of the year, he needs about $5,000 to make this dream a reality. Having given so much to his online community, I would love to see Patrick’s wish come true. Visit his kickstarter page, and again, remember that you do not have to donate, but if you spread the word, the idea may reach just that person who would love to support such a project. And you should friend Patrick on Twitter too, because he’s awesome.

So there you have it. These are just four of my friends who could really benefit from the power of social media. Maybe you could do a post like this highlighting four of your friends who need help. Maybe we could make a whole lot of difference in the world. Now wouldn’t that be amazing?

Let’s try it out!

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/darrentunnicliff/4232232092 via Creative Commons

Margie Clayman

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